The Hammelsberg Nature Reserve
The Hammelsberg, opposite the Strombierg, is an important cross-border nature reserve in Germany and France. In 1992, 38 hectares were designated as a nature reserve on the German side. 47 hectares were added on the French side in 1995. In 2004, the protected area on the German side was expanded to 201 hectares. The nature reserve is located in the municipalities of Perl (Saarland), Apach, and Merschweiler (Lorraine). On the slopes of the Hammelsberg, there is a large mixed deciduous forest with a very large proportion of old beech trees and numerous spring-flowering plants. In addition, the older part of the reserve consists of meadows, fields, and shrubbery. The nature reserve offers a wide variety of natural habitats, such as woodruff beech forests, bedstraw-oak-hornbeam forests, lean lowland hay meadows, and calcareous semi-arid grasslands, the conservation of which is also of European importance. In the "Hammelsberg" nature reserve, bird species such as the honey buzzard, grey-headed woodpecker, and red-backed shrike can be found alongside rare butterfly species such as the "Spanish flag" and the "Scabiosa fritillary." Forest visitors and walkers appreciate the "Hammelsberg" as an outstanding vantage point over the Moselle Valley. Source: Text information board